Whether you have an anxiety disorder or just need some tips on handling situations that make you anxious, The Anxiety Toolkit has much to offer: Dr. Alice Boyes, who has worked extensively in cognitive-behavioral therapy, defines anxiety and explains its psychological mechanisms. She then provides strategies for overcoming five stumbling blocks that can interfere with performance or decision-making. Starting each of her five chapters with a self-evaluation tool, she explains helpful techniques and offers reassuring advice. The book concludes with chapters on long-term anxiety management. Booklist says that this guide will be "useful to a wide range of readers."

When children embark on lives of their own, families may experience fear for their loved ones' safety. These emotions are magnified for parents of military personnel. In this guide, author Elaine Brye reveals the love, pride, worry, fear, and hope she has felt as an "Army brat," an officer's wife, and mother of four military officers. Sharing her own discoveries and stories others have told her, she offers realistic suggestions for dealing with life in a military family. Whether you just want to understand the challenges these families face or you have a dear one in a dangerous profession, you'll want to read Be Safe, Love Mom.

If you have survived a divorce or a break-up, the idea of dating again can be daunting. Author Susan Elliott (who also wrote Getting Past Your Breakup) provides down-to-earth recommendations about completing your grieving and healing process and assessing your readiness to date. She describes how to approach new relationships and handle issues as they arise. The advice in this book builds on Elliott's experience as a lawyer and grief counselor. Library Journal calls Getting Back Out There "encouraging for those who wish to build a healthy relationship and get on with life."

In On Your Case, attorney Lisa Green provides an essential handbook for women on how to be prepared for a variety of situations where it's important to understand how the law works. Though a straightforward, practical book on this topic may seem pedestrian, Green engagingly presents real-life examples to illustrate why women need to be legally prepared. Covering topics that include relationships, break-ups, family law, employment, Internet safety, domestic violence, and legal needs in later life, this well-researched, accessible book offers all the legal basics a woman needs to live a self-sufficient, productive life.

Author Serena Miller, known for her novels set in Amish country, became curious about how the Amish rear the happy, respectful, and competent children she observed while doing research for her fiction. In More Than Happy, Miller relates what she learned and crystalizes her insights for "Englisch" parents who are unacquainted with Amish culture. Rather than dictating a list of rules or set opinions on issues such as feeding on demand, home-made baby food, and the like, the Amish women Miller interviewed painted a picture of multigenerational family life and clear expectations about children's participation in running the household. In her conclusion, Miller suggests how non-Amish parents can integrate some Amish practices into their own families.

From looking for a compatible partner to hiring a babysitter to making key business decisions, everyone needs to be able to discern deceptive or even malicious personality traits. In Red Flags, author Wendy Patrick (a district attorney in California) explains how we have to ignore some annoying behavior patterns in order to get along, but we also should evaluate important relationships objectively. Explaining how to detect potential dangers behind attractive exteriors, Patrick also gives tips on researching someone's track record. This valuable book provides the mnemonic "FLAG" (Focus, Lifestyle, Associations, Goals) and a helpful analysis of abusive patterns as guides to making well-informed choices.

Paleontologist Scott Sampson, recognized by PBS viewers as the host of Dinosaur Train, sees danger in the current tendency to over-schedule kids and allow them to spend too much time indoors in sedentary activities. Fearing that today's children will lose the ability to appreciate nature, he offers an unusual book on parenting: How to Raise a Wild Child. Discussing what nature is and how to explore it nearby (even in the city), Sampson presents his manifesto on how important it is to make children feel at home in the outdoors. Publishers Weekly says this book sends a "far-reaching message for families and the planet."

Family systems therapist Marilyn Wedge, author of the eyebrow-raising Psychology Today article "Why French Kids Don't Have ADHD," observes that the rate of ADHD (Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) diagnosis in the U.S. is significantly above that in other developed countries. In A Disease Called Childhood, she offers an alternative to labeling behavior issues as ADHD, as well as different approaches to behavior modification that include dietary changes, discipline, and exercise. Parents who are open to such methods, in lieu of prescription medication, will find both information and useful advice in this thought-provoking and accessible book.

In The Mindful Diet, clinical psychologist Ruth Wolever and dietitian Beth Reardon (both of the Duke Integrative Medicine center) offer a mindfulness approach to eating that also gives information on more-healthy and less-healthy food choices. For those who are concerned about the challenges of weight loss, this book offers ways to build new habits instead of just using willpower to cut calories. Meditation practice, charts of nutritional values, and preparation advice (hint: individually prepared meals may be healthier than fast food) complete this easy-to-follow and realistic guide. For another informative book on mindful eating, read Thich Nhat Hanh and Lilian Cheung's Savor.

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